A horse, of course...

As some of you might know, my DH is working toward getting a MSW. Tomorrow marks the end of his first internship, and he asked me to make a card for his supervisor to thank her for all the time she has put in with him this year. She apparently is a horse person, so he asked me to make something with a horse. Huh? Ok, city girl here, never got the horse thing, hence no horse stamps. What's a girl to do? Google horse digi images, of course!

After a little searching, I found this adorable horse image by Victoria Case Art Designs. It is available in rubber, or if you email her, you can purchase it in digi form, perfect for those last minute cards. (Because, of course, DH always waits until the very last minute to ask if I can make him something!)


The image was colored with copic markers, and layered using the Nestabilities Oval set. I printed the flower twice and layered it on pop-dots for a little something extra. I finished it off with some pretty dp from the Imaginisce Twitterpated collection.

Day 8 of M&DC's Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

Today is the regular “Thursday Card Challenge” at Mothers and Daughters and our blog roll continues with a special treat. Giovana is hosting the challenge so hurry on over to her blog for all the details – challenge, blog candy, and a stunning card to inspire you.

Today's challenge is to make a Mother's Day card using at least 3 flower. I decided to go for a sweet and simple layout for my card:

The pretty flowers are made from dp from BoBunny's Dot to Dot line in Tutu, Blush, and Decaf.

After punching out each flower, I pressed them in my palm to make the petals bend up. The BoBunny paper is nice and heavy, so it holds the shape really well. The centers are popped up on pop-dots, and I added a touch of Cinnamon Stickles to the dots on the Decaf paper to make them stand out a bit more.

Be sure to check out the blogs of my fellow DT members to see their lovely creations!

Links:

Cathy http://seasiderosecottage.blogspot.com/

Dawn http://dawnsrubberroom.blogspot.com/

Leah http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/

Giovana http://giovana-believe.blogspot.com/
Melita http://www.calonghorn.wordpress.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 7 of the M&DC's Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

This is lucky Day #7 of the Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll. *Be sure to read down to the bottom of the post for details on how you can win today's prize!*

For today's challenge we’re getting away from cards and scrap pages to take a crack at recipe cards. Robin, Cathy, Giovana, and Laurie have come up with some adorable recipe cards for your viewing pleasure, and since today is my turn to host, I am going to show you how to put together this cute little recipe book to put them in.


I don't know about you, but to me Christmas just isn't Christmas unless the house is filled with the smells of holiday baking. When I was a child, my siblings and I would get so excited when Mom took Grandma Soper's sugar cookie recipe out of her recipe box, because that meant that the holiday season had officially started. LOL. Now that we are all adults and starting our own families, I thought it would be nice to collect all of our family Christmas recipes in a little book and give a copy to each of my siblings.

Supplies:

1 piece of 11 x 4.75 card stock
1 piece of 6.5 x 4.75 card stock in a contrasting color
photo album inserts (pick one up at the $1 store and tear off the cover - you only need the photo sleeves)
crop-a-dile
ribbon
scor-pal or scoring tool of your choice
large needle

Instructions:

Using your scor-pal, score the 11 x 4.75 piece of card stock at 7.5 and 8.5. Fold the creases to look as shown in the photo below:


(I embossed my 2 pieces of card stock with Cuttlebug embossing folders at this point, but this is completely optional.)
Line your second piece of card stock up against the shorter scored edge of your first piece of card stock (as shown below) and glue in place.


Insert your photo sleeves, lining them up with the longer scored edge. Use a few pieces of double sided tape to hold it in place.
Close the album, and use your crop-a-dile to punch holes along the folded edge. (I punched 5 holes, but the number is completely up to you.)
Cut a 24 inch section of ribbon and thread it through your holes in the pattern of your choosing to bind the layers together to make your book. Alternately, you could skip the ribbon and use brads, binder rings, etc, to hold your book together.


Decorate the front as desired. (I used Skating by Stampavie with Decaf Dot dp by BoBunny.)


For the first page of my album, I made a simple "recipe" card with the "Recipe for Christmas Joy" on it. I thought it would be a cute way to start the album.

Now go hop through the design team's blogs to get some inspiration for recipe cards to fill your album!

Cathy http://seasiderosecottage.blogspot.com/

Leah http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/

Giovana http://giovana-believe.blogspot.com/

Robin http://www.rwade1969.blogspot.com/

Laurie http://www.lovinmylife.typepad.com/

MDC Challenge Blog: http://mdcchallenges.blogspot.com/

Now for the part you have been waiting for - the details on today's prize! LOL. Today we will be giving away a package of SEI Morning Meadow epoxy stickers! To be entered into to win today's prize, you will need to make a recipe card and then leave me a comment below with a link to your project.

The deadline for all challenges is Saturday, May 16th at 12 noon. We’ll announce winners the next day on the various blogs with a complete list on the MDC Challenge blog. Remember, there will also be random prizes for just posting on the different blogs!

MDCC37 - out of the box

It's time for another card challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations. Are you ready to play? This weeks challenge is to make a box on your card and have your design spilling out of it.

I decided to put a little spin on the challenge and made a shadowbox for my card. I've never made one of these before, and I have to tell you, they are a lot of fun and pretty simple to make. You can find instructions here.


I used chick with egg by Serendipity for my main image, and colored it in with copic markers. I cut the eggs out free hand from papers from Bo Bunny, Imaginisce, and Best Creations and then outlined the edge with a black colic marker for more definition. The rick rack and buttons were from my stash.

If you would like to play along, just leave a comment here with a link to your picture. Please use keyword MDCC37 if uploading to SCS or PCP.

MDCC34

This week's card challenge on the Mothers & Daughters challenge blog is to create a border of some sort and use it on your card.


For my border, I used a Martha Stewart punch to create a pretty scalloped edge on my yellow strip of cs, and then layered on a strip of white cs and a piece of dp by Imaginisce. For some extra pop, I attached some pretty buttons from my stash.

I used chick with tulip from Serendipity stamps for my image, and colored it in with copic markers. (photo below) I used my oval Nestabilities to cut out the image, and layered it onto a scalloped oval to coordinate with my border.

If you'd like to play along, make a border and use it on a card. Post a link to your card on this post on the MDC challenge blog and you will be entered to win a fabulous prize!

You probably are looking at my marker colors and saying to yourself, "I don't remember copic carrying those two yellows on the end." Well, you'd be right. The two yellows on the end are my own recipe. I really like YR21, and have always been frustrated that there aren't any lighter yellows in the same shade to blend it with. What's a girl to do? Well, this girl purchased 2 empty sketch markers and a YR21 & blender refill and custom mixed her own colors. I used all three of the YR21's on my chick, and am very happy with the result. I went a head and made a couple of other colors too, which I will show you at a later date. I firmly believe that a crafter can never have too many colors! LOL!

MDCC33 - card challenge

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for another card challenge at the Mothers & Daughters Creations Challenge blog. For this weeks project, the design team was challenged to use Paintables card stock by Prima. This heavy weight 12x12 white card stock is similar to watercolor paper but has gorgeous designs preprinted on it.


I used Koh-i-noor pencils with OMS to color in my piece of Paintables. It was so lovely that I just couldn't cut it up, so I went for a very simple card layout to spotlight it.

MDCC29 - sketch challenge

This Thursday's challenge on the Mothers & Daughters Creations challenge blog is a sketch challenge. If you'd like to play along, make a card with this sketch, and post a link to your project on this post on the M&DC challenge blog. If uploading to PCP or SCS, please use keyword MDCC29 to make it easier to find your project.

We've been getting hit with snow storm after snow storm, so I decided to cheer myself up by making a card with spring colors.


I used the adorable Penguin Chick by Imaginisce, and colored her in with SU markers. The pretty dp is both sides of the double sided Perfect Harmony - Lizzie by Daisy Bucket. I added a matching apricot silk flower by Zva Creative for a final touch.

MDCC27 - Card Thursdays

It's Thursday, and that means it is time for the Card Thursday challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations! Today's challenge is to pick a card from any of the MDC design team's blogs and case it! Fun, huh? If you want to play along, please post a comment here, with who you cased and a link to your picture. If you upload to splitcoast stampers or papercraft planet, please use key word MDCC27.

I decided to case this card by DT member, Kathyrn. Isn't it great?

We've been "enjoying" snow and temperatures in the single digits this week, so I decided to cheer myself up by making a card with pretty spring colors.

I used My Prince Charming by Stampavie for the focal image. Isn't is just the sweetest thing? I colored the frogs in with copic markers, and then water colored the grass. I added some diamond stickles to the flowers, and added a dab more to give the lady frog some eyeshadow. Every girl needs some bling, right? LOL!

The pretty dp with the flowers and the dp with the stripes are opposite sides of the Sweet Satin Ribbon dp from the Fairest of the All collection by Imaginisce. The cute green polka dot dp is Mint Dot by BoBunny.

MDCC25 - Card Thursdays - Thanks for the Memories

This Thursday's card challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations is to make a holiday thank you card to send to someone special. To celebrate the new year, M&DC is offering a prize for one lucky participant - the Serendipity Stamps mailbox stamp that DT member Maria used on her card here! To enter, make a holiday thank you card, and post a comment with a link to the card on this thread on the M&DC challenge blog. If you upload your card to Splitcoast Stampers or Papercraft Planet, please use keyword MDCC25.

For my card, I thought this adorable snowman stamp by Stampavie was just perfect for a thank you card. He just looks so happy to be receiving a present from his bird friend! The image was colored with Copic markers, and I added diamond Stickles for some sparkle. I used Merry Wishes - All the Trimmings dp by Daisy Bucket for the background. It is double-sided, so I cut my piece in half and used both sides on the card for some added interest. Don't you just love double-sided dp?

MDCC24 - holiday ornament

I'm a few days late posting this, but better late than never, right? I actually made this last weekend, and then forgot to post it in the last minute holiday rush.


This is another holiday ornament that doubles as a gift card holder. I needed two to send to my niece and nephew in Texas, and figured they might fight over them if I didn't use the same layout on each one. This one obviously is for my niece since I can't see my nephew digging the girly colors! LOL!
I used the cute holiday Mouse from Stampavie for my image, and colored it in with copic markers. I added gray fun flock to the mouse for fur, and Shimmerz to the ornament for some sparkle. The dp is Sweet Satin Ribbon from the Fairest of them All collection by Imaginisce.

Merry Moosemas!

I recently received my DT package from Mothers and Daughters Creations, and have been drooling over all the gorgeous paper and images it contained! I still need a few more holiday cards, so I decided to use this adorable Moose by Stampavie for a guy-friendly card.

I colored the image with Copic markers and sponged a little Close to Cocoa ink on the bottom for ground. I added diamond stickles (can you tell these are my favorite stickles?) to the lights for some sparkle. The pretty dp's are Snowy Jo - Tinsel on the Top by Imaginisce, and Romantica by Prima. Snowy Jo comes with sparkle pre-applied to the stars on the trees - how fun is that?

Holiday Candle

Today was our Christmas party at work. We always do a Secret Santa type gift exchange as well as bring in lots of holiday goodies. Mmmm. I've been on a bit of a sugar high all day, so bear with me. :)


I decided to get a little crafty for my Secret Santa person, and decorated this yummy Vanilla Cupcake scented candle for her.

My person has 2 children, so I decided to mask off two of the caroler's from Carol Singers by Elzybells Art Stamps to use on the lid. I colored them in with Copic markers, and added diamond stickles for some sparkle. I then added some liquid applique for some nice poofy snow.

The pretty designer paper is Ribbon Candy by Frances Meyer. Isn't it yummy? I love the colors! You can't see it all that well, but there is also a strip wrapped around the bottom of the lid. I'll let you in on a little secret - 12 inches of dp wasn't quite enough to wrap all the way around the jar or lid, so I used the bow and the "let is snow" medallion to cover the gap. Shhh... don't tell! LOL!

My person seemed to like her decorated candle, and my office mates had a good chuckle over the Christmas Tranquilizers (see previous post).

Check back later, because I will be posting some fun blog candy in honor of the holiday season. Details coming soon!

MDCC21 - Holiday Shapes

This Thursday's card challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations is to make a holiday shaped card.

For my card, I decided to make a pretty mitten. It's been pretty darn cold here lately, so having nice warm mittens on hand is a must.


For my mitten, I glued a piece of DP from the Be Merry collection by My Mind's Eye onto my white card base, traced my mitten pattern onto the back and cut all three layers at the same time. When working with a pattern, I find that this makes it much easier to make your pieces line up perfectly.

You can find my pattern at the right. Click it to make it bigger, and either print it as is or copy it into your photo editing software to resize it as you see fit. If you make a card using my pattern, leave me a link in the comments section - I'd love to see what you came up with!

Back to the mitten: I like my mittens to have good ribbing at the top so that they fit snugly at the wrist. To get that look on my card, I used some pretty retired SU ribbon from the Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals collection that I've been hoarding. I used two strips of the Certainly Celery ribbon, and covered the seam with the Regal Rose ribbon. I really like this ribbon, and wish that SU would sell it by the roll. *sigh*

The snowflake image is from Elzybell's Art Stamps. When I ordered from them a few weeks ago, one of my stamps was back ordered and didn't ship with the rest of the order. When the back ordered stamp arrived, I found that Elizabeth, the owner, had slipped this cute snowflake stamp in the package as a thank you for waiting. Wasn't that sweet of her? Thank you, Elizabeth!

I stamped the snowflake in SU Regal Rose craft ink and embossed it with SU Iridescent Ice EP. I still wanted more sparkle, so I added some stickles to the center of the outline. It is really pretty in person! I used Nestabilities with SU Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery for the matting on the image, and popped it all up on pop-dots for some dimension.

Can I get a Woot?!?

Woo! I'm doing the happy dance right now! Did you notice the new button in my side bar? I'm so excited to be able to share with you that I've been selected to be a member of the Mothers and Daughters Creations Card Design Team! How cool is that? I've been having fun playing in their challenges for a while now, so I can't wait to start my design team work!

If you haven't checked out the Challenge Blog yet, go give it a gander. This weeks card challenge is to make a shaped holiday card. Check back later to see my take on it.